Home
by NettieC
Summary: Written for the September HBX Challenge. After a six month deployment, Harm finds the true meaning of coming home.


Disclaimer: not mine

Written for the HBX September Challenge

It had been a long time since Harmon Rabb had been in kindergarten, a very, very long time. Some things were different but many more were the same – the easels, the paint, the playdoh, the dress-ups. Scanning the large, colourful room, Harm's eyes fixed on the thing he was searching for.  
>"Alexa," he called and suddenly a room full of eyes were on the tall stranger in a naval uniform. Alexa was too engrossed in the feltboards to pay attention. "Alexa, honey," he called again and slowly the four-year-old's head came up. Pushing the brown curls from her face, blue eyes to meet blue eyes. "Hello Alexa."<p>

Alexa Sarah Rabb studied the man calling her name. He was smiling at her, Miss Julie was smiling at her, mommy was in the background smiling at her. Looking at the man once more, Alexa took in his height, his smile, his eyes...her eyes. "Daddy..." she said slowly, unsure if she was correct. The man smiled more. ...it was her daddy. "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" she squealed, running across the room and launching herself at him.

It had been six long months since she had seen her father and so much had happened in that time. She had learnt to write her name, learnt her ABC's and just last week had started kindergarten.  
>"Hello baby girl," he said, wrapping her tightly in his arms and repeatedly kissing her head. "I've missed you so very, very, very much.<br>"Daddy! Daddy!" she said, kissing him and squeezing him tightly. "Are you home forever?" she asked.  
>"I am," he replied, kissing her nose. "I certainly am."<br>Alexa was too young to know what it all meant but as her mom came over and wrapped an arm around both of them, she didn't care what 'forever' meant so long as it meant he wasn't going away any time soon.  
>"Daddy's home, mommy!" she said holding onto both of them.<br>"I know," she said, kissing her daughter's head. "We were keeping it as a surprise..."  
>"It's the best surprise," she said gleefully. "Better than anything in the whole wide world."<br>"How about you and I take daddy out for lunch, then home?" Mac asked and Alexa nodded.  
>"Can we have Beltway Burgers, mom, please?" she asked, she may have had her daddy's eyes but she had also inherited her mother's appetite.<br>"How about we let daddy choose?" Mac suggested and the child nodded.  
>"Okay, where do you want to go, daddy?" she asked looping both arms around his neck.<p>

From the moment his daughter was born he had been putty in her hands. Everything he did, everything he chose was done with her wants, needs, likes and best interests in mind. Therefore, it was no surprise to Mac that her husband chose Beltway Burgers for their lunchtime pleasure.

Over a range of burgers, fries, onion rings and milkshakes, Alexa babbled away about everyone and everything; about how clever she was getting, about how mommy said they could maybe get a dog, about how Auntie Harriet and Uncle Bud had looked after her lots, especially when mommy was really sick.

Harm turned and looked at his wife, this was news to him and despite being deployed to Iraq, he had usually managed several calls home a week, not to mention emails. Mac mouthed 'later' but he continued to study her, "Later," she whispered. "Everything's okay," she added when he continued looking at her.  
>"...right, daddy?" Alexa said.<br>"Sorry, sweetie, I didn't hear you," he said, taking Mac's hand and turning back to his daughter.  
>"I said, now that you're home we can get a dog, can't we, right?" she said, her grammar not perfect but her question clear.<br>"We'll see," he said with a smile, and Alexa grinned. Daddy's smile always meant yes.

Harm's first impression of the family home was that it looked no different. The garden had very recently been cut and he knew Mac would have got someone in to do it all so he wouldn't have to do it. Over the time of his deployment, Mac had known his every move; it was actually her that had informed him he'd be coming home earlier than expected before he'd heard it officially. It was Mac who, two months in, had organised his four days of leave to Riyadh, where they had been reunited.

Inside the home, the only major difference was the huge photo of him hanging on the living room wall. Mac had wanted Harm's presence in their home during his absence. While there were many photos around, she wanted something which would catch Alexa's attention each and every time, and it had.

Excited daddy was finally home, Alexa dragged him by the hand to her bedroom and showed him the new quilt, new storybooks, the new doll Auntie Harriet had bought her when mommy was in hospital weeks ago, and ...  
>"Wow!" he said, stopping the child's dialogue as he desperately wanted to get back to his wife. "Looks like you've been very spoilt."<br>"Yep," she said with a grin. "Can you read me this book?" she asked, picking up 'Where the Wild Things Are'.  
>"I can," he said with a nod. "How about we read it in the living room?"<br>"Okay," she said running ahead.  
>"Wait up!" he called as he spied Mac walking into their bedroom. "I need to change out of my uniform, I'll be a few minutes."<br>"Okay," Alexa yelled back. With two parents who wore uniforms, she was very used to having to wait for them to change.  
>"What's going on?" Harm asked, stepping into their bedroom and closing the door behind him.<br>"Depends," Mac said, turning around and linking her arms around his neck. "Do I get a proper hello kiss first?"

Without waiting for a reply, Mac pushed up and kissed him soundly, pressing her whole body against his. This is what she had wanted to do when she'd collected him from the airport but as they were both in uniform she had shown restraint. Then they were at Alexa's kindergarten, and that really wasn't the place either, nor was Beltway Burgers.  
>"Mmm," he mumbled pulling back before kissing her forehead. "I needed that so much."<br>"Me too," Mac said, raising her hand and caressing his face. "I've missed you so much."  
>"Missed you too," he said, kissing her once more.<br>"Daddy!" a distant voice called out.  
>"Can't wait to get you to myself tonight," Mac said, leaning her head on his chest and holding tightly.<br>"Me either," he said, kissing the top of her head. "You need to tell me what's going on," he said, using the crook of his finger to raise her face.  
>"Daddy!" Alexa called again.<br>"And you're going to have to make it fast," he added.  
>"We'll talk about it later," Mac said as little footsteps ran up the hallway.<br>"No," he said before the door flung opened.  
>"You're still not changed!" Alexa said, hands on hips. "None of you."<br>"Sorry, Lexi." Mac said, stepping back. "Daddy and I were just talking."  
>"And kissing," she said with a giggle.<br>"And kissing," Mac agreed, putting her arms out for her daughter before scooping her up.  
>"Daddy looks serious," she said looking at her father.<br>"He does, doesn't he?" Mac agreed. "How about you tell him you love him?" she whispered into her daughter's ear.  
>"I love you, daddy," she said and Harm smiled widely.<br>"I love you too, Lexi," he said, caressing her face.  
>"And tell daddy you've been very good for mommy," Mac whispered and Alexa related the information.<br>"That's good to hear," Harm said, his eyes never far from Mac's face.  
>"And tell him..." Mac whispered and Alexa's eyes opened widely.<br>"Really?" she asked and Mac nodded.  
>"I'm going to have a brother," she said and Harm's eyes darted from Alexa's to Mac's.<br>"Really?" he asked, blue eyes locked on brown.  
>"Mommy says yes," Alexa said and Harm pulled the pair closer to him.<br>"That's wonderful!" he said leaning in and kissing Mac soundly.  
>"I'd rather have a puppy," Alexa said wriggling down. "Come on, daddy!"<br>"Just a minute," he said, wanting his wife now more than ever.  
>"Lex, how about you call Auntie Harriet and tell her daddy's home, she'll be surprised," Mac said, her eyes still locked with Harm's. And Alexa was gone.<p>

There were a few moments of silence until Harm pulled Mac as close to him as possible. "Is this what was wrong? When Alexa said you were sick..."  
>"Yep," Mac said, her arms around his waist. "It was morning, noon and night sickness."<br>"And hospital?" he asked, caressing her face.  
>"We had a bit of a scare," she said, her eyes filling with tears as she remembered the fear which had surrounded her. "But everything's fine now."<br>"Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered, kissing her forehead.  
>"Things were rough and I wanted to tell you when things were good...I didn't want you to worry," she whispered. "But things seemed to get worse and worse...and by the time things were good, we knew you were coming home so I figured I'd surprise you with it now."<br>"Well, surprise is right," he said, kissing her nose. "Are you sure you're okay? That everything's okay?"  
>"Positive," she replied with a grin. "I have an OBGYN appointment this Friday, thought you might want to come and see your son for yourself."<p>

Harm's grin threatened to split his face. "I sure do." He planned on retiring in the next few months, he had the most beautiful wife, adorable daughter and was going to be blessed with a son.

Harm was in his element; he was home, finally home.


End file.
